The present invention generally relates to the field of communication systems and to systems and methods for optimizing system performance through weight-based or credit-based scheduling in capacity and spectrum constrained, multiple-access communication systems.
In a communication network, such as an Internet Protocol (IP) network, each node and subnet has limitations on the amount of data which can be effectively transported at any given time. In a wired network, this is often a function of equipment capability. For example, a Gigabit Ethernet link can transport no more than 1 billion bits of traffic per second. In a wireless network the capacity is limited by the channel bandwidth, the transmission technology, and the communication protocols used. A wireless network is further constrained by the amount of spectrum allocated to a service area and the quality of the signal between the sending and receiving systems. Because these aspects can be dynamic, the capacity of a wireless system may vary over time.